New Hampshire Democrats Propose Passing the Highest Beer Tax in New England

NH Democrats have goals. One of them is having the highest beer tax in New England

Whenever you are sitting with ‘friends,” talking about what you could do to help create jobs and improve the economy in New Hampshire, I bet one of the first things you think of is instituting the highest beer tax in all of New England, right?

Well if you happen to be a New Hampshire Democrat that is exactly what you do.

HB 168 …would increase the excise tax on any beer that’s sold in New Hampshire to 40 cents per gallon, a 33% increase.

CBS Boston reports (WBZ) that this would surpass Maine’s 35 cents per gallon, making New Hampshire’s tax the highest in New England.

So if you were planning to cry in your beer over Obama raising your payroll taxes to 6.4%, or over New Hampshire Democrats adding a few hundred dollars a year to your electric bill to pay for their pointless carbon-credit scheme, be prepared to pay another tax to commiserate over being taxed.

But don’t you dare complain about how this tax increase will hit working families or have a depressing effect on local craft-breweries, who will probably lose sales, and maybe even have to cut staff. Focus on how great it will be to raise taxes on stuff without any concern for any long term negative side-effects to the people, the state, or the economy.

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Steve is a New Hampshire resident, blogger, and activist. A member of the 603 Alliance, NHCMP, NHRVC, LFGC, and the host of GrokTALK! Please Note: My opinions are my own and not those of my Family, employers, or other contributors or commenters at GraniteGrok

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This bill is identical to 2009’s HB 166, which was killed by a 314-35 margin. It is a little premature to worry about what might happen if it passes.

The existing tax, as Steve mentioned, is 30 cents a gallon, which amounts to 16.9 cents per 6-pack. If this bill passes, it would be even more than a nickel more every time you buy a 6-pack: the tax would rise to a whopping 22 cents per 6-pack.

granitegrok

“It’s only a cuppa coffee a day”. Smooth words, Timothy. Problem is, there’s several dozen legislators and do-gooders that have the tyranny in their hearts to believe they can do better with my money than I can.

Tell me – when will you folks EVER get to “enough” and you folks stop the taking of other peoples’ money?

Also, so, why are you killing off the Voter ID Law – isn’t that “settled law” like gay marriage, Timmy? How are you being consistent?

Van

Trying to overturn Voter ID a very popular law is overreach and the democrats will pay heavily for their overreach. Vote the Bums out in 2014.

Hal Graham

Why wait until 2014 lets start in March town meetings,then the rest in 2014. The overturn must start at the bottom.

C. dog e. doG

Tru that.

nhsteve

Yeah but if the projection is accurate it will extract over 4 million from the state economy (I think that was per year.) That is assuming the tax will not depress sales; consider I am losing about 100.00/month with the payroll tax increase, my electric bill is going up to pay for RGGI, inflation, gas is still real high, my propane bill is up over last year, increased insurance deductions, no wage increases because my employer is getting hit harder than I am….you guys just keeping piling it on.

I am wondering how the view is from inside your bubble? Do you guys see the real world from in there?

But back to the big money question. How does removing another 4 million a year from the state economy create jobs other than the handful of taxpayer funded jobs needed to spend that 4 million, and how do you justify the state knowing better how to spend that 4 million than the people from whom you took it?

And on the flip side, if it really is so insiginfincat a sum, why skip it, or better yet cut the tax and let the people keep that additional 4 million to spend on the state economy as they best see fit?

IWKAGGP

Makes perfect sense to me. New Hampshire ranked 1st in the nation in beer consumption per capita according to a recent study. So with all that beer-swilling going on it makes sense to make some revenue off it. Hmmmmm . . . I wonder where we rank in DUI’s per capita?

granitegrok

Ah yes, I am not surprised – if people like something really well, TAX them for their own enjoyment!

Van

Yea, democrats hate when people enjoy themselves. Tax and Spend Tax and Spend that is all the demoscum like to do.

IWKAGGP

All’s I’m sayin’ is that, with all that beer-guzzlin’ goin’ on – there’s gotta be a heap ‘a drunk drivin’ goin’ on too! I wonder if we rank numero uno in that stat too???

And we could put the revenue towards education. Heck, isn’t it the NH GOP that wanted to fund education with the profits from casino gamblin’? What’s next, “the world’s oldest profession” perhaps – legalized and turned into a money-makin’ scheme???

granitegrok

We are among the safest of states – even without a mandatory seatbelts.

Sure – let’s give that extra “education revenue” to the homeschoolers to offset the property taxes that they don’t “use” in avoiding the Government schools. Send the rest to the non-union charter schools.

After all, “its for the children” – and not the union chiefs.

IWKAGGP

For the 1st time ever I have a home-schooled kid going to All-State. I’ve never met the kid or her mother but because they live in my district she got to audition for, was accepted to, and now gets to represent our school at All-State. I will be missing two days of work to attend the All-State festival this year. Of course, her mom balked at paying the $180.00 participation fee that all students attending the All-State festival must pay, until I reassured her that ALL students must pay this and that the fee goes to pay the cost of holding the festival, for room and board, etc . . . then she finally gave in and paid up. AND . . . according to All-State rules in order to be eligible for All-State a home-schooled student must participate in a performing ensemble at the school in the district they reside in. She’s apparently getting a pass on that too as I haven’t seen hide nor hair of her in my group.

How ironic . . . this particular home-schooled parent thought she didn’t need her local public school . . . until she did.

granitegrok

Not ironic – self-serving. When the rules skew to a traditional school model, it discriminates against all others simply because it doesn’t believe any other should exist.

Ditch the discrimination and the “need” is moot. See – educational freedom is the true path to enlightenment. And then Government schools would HAVE to be better via competition – or no longer be around.

C. dog e. doG

You could readily solve the education funding conundrum by allowing parents to part ways from government monopoly training camps and enable them to have a choice of where to send their precious offsprings. Why, I dare say private education enterprises could dun educate the ‘utes for far less than the $12K/parole charged by Government Inc.
– C. dog, the Thrifty Teacher

Van

If one democrat wants to tax our Beer than all democrats want to tax our Beer. Lets vote all democrats out of office in 2014.

C. dog e. doG

Wonder what the wigged one’s would have done? Let’s see, they threw tea into Boston harbor. Should we throw beer from the warehouses into the Mighty Mighty Merrimack? Alternatively, perform the nominal act with a ceremonial dumping, boycott commercial sales, and for personal consumption brew our own. I mean, if we’re serious about reducing taxes and such …
– C. dog already avoiding tolls and sin taxes by taking alternative routes

JP

I just read all the comments it doesn’t seem like anyone can stay on the topic of the Beer Tax! Could it be that the “middle class” doesn’t drink beer and the Liberals want to tax those of us who are starting a revolution and guess where?, at a Pub. Throughout History isn’t that where most of the Revolutionist and Liberty minded people met? I’ll drink to that!

C. dog e. doG

Not tru, that, JP. I was like totally on topic, which is a rare occurrence for me given how often I get twisted up in the connectivity of dots. But I take the gist of your point, and would encourage such pubs to dispense black-market brew to get around the king’s (or queen’s) ransom.
– C. dog pays coin on the barrelhead

David

Hey Weed, you slimy scum suck! Tax crack and make the drug addicts pay for jail you fucken piece of shit!

C. dog e. doG

Kinda ironical – ain’t it – that a dumocrat named weed would sponsor an anti-drug bill in the Grate State of New Hamsters. How ’bout sponsor a novelty bill that places the onus of ones drug-induced behavior squarely on the shoulders of those who choose to imbibe. Got a crack addiction or alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver? Too bad, pony up for your own rehab, or move to MA-MA Land where all the libs can shower you with other people’s money and fiat luv.
– C. dog seeking to strip adults of their diapers

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